Feeler mechanism for looms



Feb. 18, 1930. .1. w. SIMPSON FEELER MECH ANISM FOR LOOMS Filed May 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l //VVENTOR.'

a ua? ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 18, 1930 I UNITED "STATES PATENT oFricE i JESSE W. SIMPSON, OF ANDERSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPORA- TION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE F EEIQE R MECHANISM. non LOOMS Application ,filed May 14,

' 7 1 the frontward push upon the feel-er when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detectingjbeat," and, in another form, means are provided to act upon the feeler to impart its side slipping movement independent of front 1 ward pressure upon the feeler.f

In feeler mechanisms of the second form of I side slipping feelers, it is desirable that the feeler shall not be subjectedto the action of v the side'slipping movingmeans until after the feeler has properly engaged the filling, that it may beheld from side slipping movement when a working supply is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat and thereaften -during the frontward movement of the feeler, that the means which imparts to the feeler its side slipping tendency shall act upon the feeler with a substantially uniform force.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a feelermechanism of the side slipping type wherein the means for eifecting side slipping movement of the feeler will come into action only after the feeler has been moved frontwardly a predetermined amount and thereafter act with a substantially constant force tending to impart side slipping movement to the feeler.

Another object of, the present invention is p to provide a feeler mechanism of" the type indicated, which shall be simple in construction; light and effective in operation and sen"- sitive both to the presence and absence of fillmg. 7 I I n The invention and novel features thereof will best be made clear from the following description and the'accompanying drawings of one good form thereof. In the drawings? v p Fig. 1 is apersp'ective View of portions of a 5e loom at the detecting si'de, containing the 929. Serial no. 362,916.

present invention, and having parts broken Fig. 2 s a plan view showing the relation of parts comprising the invention when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the relation of parts when the feel-er detects substantial exhaustion of filling; and; r

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View showing the relation of parts when the feeler is in its backward feeling position.

The feeler mechanism in the present instance of the invention is shown as associated with means for initiating filling replenishment when the filling in the shuttle is substantially exhausted on a detecting heat, but the details of the filling replenishing mechanism are not shown because they form no essential part of the present invention and are now well understood in the art.

Extending from the loom frame is the shipper stand 1 having a laterally projecting arm 2 for the support of a bracket 3 which may be secured to the arm 2 in adjusted position by a bolt 4 which passes through an elongated slot 5 in the arm 2.

The feeler stand 6 is adjustably secured to the bracket 3 by means of a bolt 7 passing through a slot 8 in the feeler stand. The feeler'stand is shown as formed of light sheet metal and provided with an upturned flange 9 at its rear portion, which is provided with aslot 10, and at the front of the feeler stand is an upturned flange ll'having an opening 12. The feeler 13 extends through the rear bearing 10 and front bearing 12 and at its front portion is the laterally turned arm 14: which serves to limit the rearward movement of the feeler to feeling position.

The sensitiveness of a feeler mechanism of the side slipping type depends to a large extent upon the light sensitive character of the feeler itself, and in accordance with the present invention the feeler 18 is formed of wire the longitudinal axis of which is substantially'at right angles to the lay'movement, withthe result that no tendency toside slip is imparted to the feeler by a front-ward pressure of a surface on the lay.

portion 17 of which is seccured to the rear portion of the feeler stand at a point lateral with reference to the longitudinal axis of the feeler, so that the spring 16 acts in a rearward inclined direction'to impart to the feelerits movement to feeling position laterally in the slot 10 in the rear feeler bearing.

c The lay 18, only a portion of shown, is provided with the usual shuttle box 19 for the reception of the shuttle 20 in which ismounted the filling carrieror bobbin 21 On which the filling is, wound, and the front wall ofthe shuttle is provided with an elongated slot 22 whichre g'isters with a similar elongated slot in the front wall of the shuttle box, as usual, so that oneach detecting beat the feeler may enter the shuttle and contagt with the filling.

' From the construction thus far described it will be apparent, that the feele'r will be moved frontwardly on each detecting beat and have no tendency to, side slipping movement and will be returned to its feeling position by the pull spring 16 acting man inclined and rearward direction upon the feeler. Pivotally mounted on the feeler stand at the-front, portion thereef is the feeler displaeer, eomprisingan arm 23 whichlex'tends in a laterally inclined fl'OiltWEtld directi n from the ivotal su port or pin '24, so that the front portion or the arm aaeatends across the front'ejnd of the feele'r out of contact therewith, as more clearly indicated in Fig. l.

The arm23 is held in its normal position, as indicated in Fig-.4, by a spring 25, one end of which is connected at 26 to the feeler stand and the other end of which is connected to an arm 27 associated with the inclined arm 23, and a stop 28 which maybe formed by the end of the front bearing flange 12 limits the movement ofthe inclined arm 23 in its operative position under the stress of the spring 25. v I i The feeler displacer is herein shown as formed of a singlepiece of material having aipivot embracing portion 29 from which the inclined arm 23 extends frontwardly across the path of feeler movement, and the arm 27 extends in an opposite direction, as indicated inFigIl. V, The feeler stand 6 is provided with aguide 30 through which extends a transmitteri31, the end 32 of which rests against the side of the feeler, with the result that should the feelerside slip, the transmitter 31 will be moved longitudinally and act through a train of mechanism to imitate filling replenishment. 7 v

As hereinbe'fore indicated, the inc-lined arm 23 extends across the line offeele'r movement frontward'of the front bearing 12 and T hefeeler 13 has the projection or bend 15 i which is is slightly spaced from the end of the feeler, a as indicated at 33, Fig. 4, the construction being such that as the feeler is moved frontwardly by engagement with the filling in the shuttel the single teeth 34: of the feeler will sink into the filling owing to the pull stress of the spring 16, before the front end of the feeler contacts with the feeler displacerf 23 of the feelerjdisplacer, which will'thereupon act upon the feeler and tend to impart side slipping movement about the front hear ing 12 as 'a' fulcrum. The leverage arm front'ward of thebearing or fulcrum will remain substantially constant, as indicated at a, Figs. and 3, so that the side slipping tendency of the feeler will remain substantially constant once the front end of the feeler has engaged the inclined arm 23 of the feeler displacer. V v From the construction described itwillbe obvious that as the feeler is moved frontwardly by engagement with the working supply of fi11h1g,, the spring 16 will be elongated and its direction of pull will pass nearer and nearer thro'ugh the front bearing 12:01 fulcrum about which the feeler tends to swing under the, constant action of the feeler displacer. When the feeler detects a substantial exhaustion of filling in the shut- 'tlahowever, and side slips, the line of spring pullof the spring 16 will move to the right relative tolthe fulcrum or front bearing 12, i I

thusexert'ing a tendency in opposition to the side slipping movement of the feeler, but

since; the oncoming substantially exhausted I filling carrier is acting with a .frontward push'agai'nst the tip end of the feeler, now inclined, as indicated in Fig. 3, the two forces, that of the changing direction of pull of the spring 16, and the frontward push of the oncoming bobbin, will substantially neutralize each other, so'that the tendency age of the feeler displacerupon the front end of the feeler, to insure sensitiveness of feeler, action in detecti gtheipresence or substantial xhaustion: of filling.

and front bearings, av side slipping feeler extending through both of said bearings, an

7 arm extending laterally from the feeler between the rear and front feeler stand bearings, an inclined pull spring secured at its 'front end to the laterally extending feeler arm and at its rear end to the rear of the I feeler stand, a feeler displacer mounted at the front of the feeler stand and acting upon the feeler frontward of the front bearing 'ofthe feeler stand to effect sideslipping movement of the feeler about the front bearing when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, and a trans- ,mitter resting against the feeler between the front and rear feeler stand bearings.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

.combinationof a feeler stand having rear and front bearings, a side slipping feeler extending through both of said bearings, an arm extending laterally from the feeler between the rear and front feeler stand bearings, an inclined pull spring secured at its front end to the laterally extending feeler arm and at its rear end to the rear of the feeler stand, a feeler displacer constituted as a lever pivotally mounted at the front of the feeler stand and acting upon the feeler frontw'ard of the front bearing of the feeler stand to eflect side slipping movement of the feeler about the front bearing when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting-beat, and a transmitter resting against the feeler between the front and rear feeler stand bearings.

3. In a feeeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand having an upwardly projecting flange at the front thereof, aside slipping feeler extending front- 7 wardlythrough said flange, a pull spring connected to the feeler and to the rear of the ported at'the front of the feeler stand and feelerstand,a feeler displacer pivotally suphaving an arm extending into the path of g the feeler for engagement with the feeler after it has been moved frontwardly to a predetermined extent and thereupon acting upon the feeler frontwardly of the flange to effect side slipping movement of the feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted on having an arm extending into the path of the feeler for engagement with the feeler after it has been moved frontwardly to a predetermined extent and thereupon acting upon the feeler frontwardly of the flange to effect side slipping movement of the feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, and a spring connected to the feeler displacer for yieldingly holding it in operative position.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler mo'unted on the stand for side slipping movement, a fixed bearing for the feeler at the front of the feeler stand, a feeler displacer comprising an arm pivotally mounted on the feeler stand and extending in a laterally inclined direction across the front end of the feeler and out of contact therewith until the feeler is moved frontwardly a predetermined amount, and a spring for yieldingly holding the arm in operative position to effect side slippingmovement of the feeler about the fixed bearing as a fulcrum when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler mounted on the feeler stand for side slipping movement, a pull spring normally acting in an inclined rearward direction upon the feeler to move it into feeling position, a fixed bearing at the front of the stand through which the front end portion of the feeler extends, a feeler displacer comprising an arm pivotally mounted at the front of the feeler stand and extending in a laterally inclined direction into the vpath of the feeler movement and normally out of contact with the feeler until the feeler is moved frontwardly a predetermined amount, and a spring connected to said arm for yieldingly holding it in operative 1305i. tion to effect side slipping movement of the feeler about the front bearing as a fulcrum when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

7. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand having front and rear bearings, a light wire side slipping feeler mounted in said bearings, a pull spring connected to the feeler and to the rear of the feeler stand and acting in an inclined direction upon the feeler, a feeler displacer constituted as an arm pivotally mounted at the front of the feeler stand and extending in a laterally inclined direction into the path of feeler movement in front of the front bearing, a spring connected to the arm for yieldingly holding it in operative position, and a stop for limiting the movement of the arm under the stress of the spring that the front end of the feeler may engage the arm at a predetermined distance frontward of the front bearing as the feeler is moved frontwardly on a detecting beat.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JESSE W. SIMPSON. 

